Gardaí investigating the murder of Kenneth O’Brien whose torso was discovered in a suitcase in the Grand Canal are studying his personal relationships for any conflicts that may hold the key to motive for the crime.
A review of messages to and from his mobile phone is under way and gardaí have expressed their satisfaction at progress in the inquiry.
Of particular interest is any information that sheds light on the victim’s movements in his last hours or anything that indicates whether he had arranged to meet somebody during his final hours.
The dead man, who lived with his partner and young son at the family home in Clondalkin, west Dublin, had been in Australia working for several years.
On Thursday the search for the dead man’s missing body parts was extended to include lands, farms and outhouses close to the stretch of canal where the torso was found just south of Celbridge.
The investigation team was also hopeful the extended searches may lead them to the place where the murder took place. A number of locations off the canal had been sealed off for searching and it was anticipated that that strand of the murder probe would continue into next week.
An additional 50 lines of inquiry had been opened on Thursday, bringing to almost 250 the total number now being pursued.
The deceased had only returned to Ireland last month and Garda sources said because he had lived abroad while his partner and child remained in Dublin, he would have had a group of friends and associates his family did not know.
Detectives are trying to find any mobile phones, computers or other devices the dead man had access to over the years in Ireland and Australia.
They have contacted authorities in Australia on this in an attempt to establish if Mr O’Brien or anyone close to him had received threatening, menacing or anonymous messages.
If a conflict that emerged in his personal life was the reason for his murder, gardaí are hopeful a study of his records would reflect that.
The investigating team has also spoken to the dead man’s family and friends to establish if they knew of any reason why somebody would want to harm him or whether he felt under pressure in any way.
A Garda forensic team was on Wednesday examining the home of the 33-year-old, whose headless torso was discovered in a suitcase in the canal last week.
‘Particularly gruesome’
He had no known ties to crime and his murder and dismemberment has been described as “particularly gruesome”.
On Wednesday investigating officers focused on a house on Lealand Road in Clondalkin where he had lived with his partner and son.
The exact location of Mr O’Brien’s death has not yet been identified but gardaí believe power tools may have been used to dismember his body, which was identified through DNA analysis.
Mr O’Brien had told family members he was “going down the country” for a short period to work before he disappeared. He worked as a mechanic, JCB driver and diesel fitter.
When subsequent efforts to contact him by phone failed, a member of his extended family reported him missing.
A Garda Technical Bureau search of Mr O’Brien’s home was expected to continue. Sources described the search as “precautionary”.
Operations were also continuing on the canal at Ardclough, Co Kildare, which has been cordoned off since the discovery of his remains on Saturday.
Gardaí have carried out house-to-house inquiries on Lealand Road and CCTV footage of the area will also be examined.
Neighbours of Mr O’Brien in Clondalkin described the deceased as a friendly, quiet man who had originally moved to the area about seven years ago. But while he was often seen coming and going, no one really knew him that well.
Mr O’Brien had not come to the attention of gardaí in any significant way outside of a few minor traffic violations.
Supt Gerry Wall, in a briefing at Leixlip Garda station, said the father-of-one was “a very normal man going about his business, pursuing his employment, trying to get some work”.
